December 2009

An Advent Letter from Fr. Paul+

The Changing of seasons. . .

Advent begins a new church year, and with its coming you should notice some changes in the church and in our worship and music that reflect the change of the the church season. The prominent color is now blue or purple rather than green, and our prayers and music are more penitential during Advent. Advent means coming in Latin, and it is the time in which we prepare for the coming of the Christ.

I think of our preparation as threefold. First, we are preparing to celebrate Jesus' birth of 2,000 years ago. We reflect on Christ's human birth and on his saving activity in the world and give thanks that he lived among us. Secondly, we prepare for our family Christmas activities of giving and receiving gifts that demonstrate our love of others and our desire to bring the joyful news of God's grace into others' lives. And thirdly, our traditional Advent preparation is to consider our readiness of the second coming of Christ. It is a time for piety and prayer as we consider God's coming judgment.

Historically, the church emphasized the penitential aspect of preparing for the second coming; therefore, the traditional seasonal color of Advent was purple, just as in Lent. While piety is still a very important part of our Advent teaching, the church now recognizes that Advent is also a time of pending celebration. So for the last 20-30 years, the color blue has been allowed for use during Advent because it helps remind us of the multiple aspects of our Advent preparation. And just as we balance celebration and piety in church, you can do the same at home. Please try to take time to retreat daily from the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping and holiday parties to read and reflect on Christian writings and/or Scripture verses as part of your annual preparation for Christmas.

Wishing you and yours a Christ-filled Christmas,

Fr. Paul+